[Peetwo]

Settled; and settled right.

Well done (again) PNG.

P2 – “Now that is how to do an AAI, with 17 useful safety recommendations and all inside of year as well.”

Indeed. Another example of a smart government agency, working with ‘modern’ rules in an open, honest manner to benefit the travelling public. No holds barred safety analysis, delivered promptly – with teeth – in the form of Safety Recommendations (SR).

I cannot imagine what the ATSB would have done with it; but looking at the Pel-Air, Mildura, Swan River, ATR and Essendon events, little is left to wonder at the pitiful results of any sensible comparison. Maybe it’s time government got serious about ‘real world’ safety instead of the artful, lip service charade we constantly see and cringe at.

Toot toot.

Updated Oz article:

Air Niugini pilots ‘ignored 17 alerts’ in Micronesia crash



The final report on the fatal Air Niugini crash in Micronesia last year has delivered a damning ­assessment of the pilots’ performance, finding they ignored 17 warnings before impact.

One passenger was killed in the crash into Chuuk Lagoon on September 28, and the remaining 34 passengers and 12 crew members survived.

The Papua New Guinea Accident Investigation Commission delivered its final report yesterday, showing the Boeing 737-800 crashed into the water, 460m short of the runway at Chuuk International Airport.

No defects were found with the aircraft, but the flight crew failed on several fronts, most notably by losing situational awareness and not reacting to 14 aural and three visual alerts.

“The investigation determined that the flight crew’s level of compliance with the Air Niugini Standard Operating Procedures Manual was not at a standard that would promote safe aircraft operations,” the report said.

Despite having close to 20,000 hours of flying experience, the PNG captain appeared not to recognise “developing unsafe conditions” and continued to make an unstable approach to the runway rather than go around.

“The (Australian) co-pilot as the support/monitoring pilot was ineffective and was oblivious to the rapidly unfolding unsafe situation,” the report said.

“He did not recognise the significant unsafe conditions and therefore did not realise the need to challenge the pilot-in-­command and take control of the aircraft as required by the Air SOPM.”

As the 737 descended, a series of emergency ground proximity warning system alerts sounded followed by visual “pull up” ­messages.

The investigation found that, two seconds before impact, the co-pilot yelled “too low, too low” but it was too late.

“The continuation of the approach at an excessively high rate of descent resulted in the aircraft impacting the water 460m short of the runway,” the report said.

“Both pilots ignored the alerts and warnings and were unaware of the unsafe situation dev­eloping.”

AIC chief commissioner ­Hubert Namani said inattention or decreased vigilance was a contributor to accidents worldwide.

“Both pilots were fixated on cues associated with control inputs for the landing approach and subsequently were not situationally aware,” Mr Namani said.

The deceased passenger was found to not have been wearing a seatbelt when the plane hit the water, and died from his injuries a short time later. A series of safety actions was ordered as a result of the crash, all of which had been enacted by Air Niugini, Mr Namani said. They included correcting in-flight safety cards to show the correct location of life rafts.